This invention relates to a monoclonal antibody to okadaic acids, a process for producing the monoclonal antibody, an assay reagent for assaying okadaic acids using the monoclonal antibody, and an assay method.
Okadaic acids, pectenotoxins and yessotoxin, etc. are known as diarrhetic shellfish poisons found in shellfish such as scallop, mussel, short-necked clam and kotamagai.
In Japan, there have been many cases of poisoning caused by these diarrhetic shellfish poisons. Those which occurred in Iwate Prefecture in 1976, Kanagawa and Miyagi Prefectures in 1977 and Ibaraki and Fukushima Prefectures in 1978 were particularly serious, and several tens to several hundred persons suffered from poisoning at a time.
These happenings led to the need for examining shellfish for the presence of diarrhetic shellfish poisons in amounts which are likely to cause food poisoning.
An immunological assay method using monoclonal antibodies having very high specific reactivity with diarrhetic shellfish poisons (such as okadaic acids, pectenotoxins and yessotoxin) would be an excellent method for solving this problem. The prior art is silent on the preparation of a monoclonal antibody to okadaic acids.